Starting in the 2025 offseason, like our partners at DataForce, we have added the exciting ability for owners to list their orphan dynasty league team(s) for sale in the marketplace and during auctions for a potential profit.
We have made the addition because it encourages the principle of keeping your dynasty team in great shape. If you build an excellent team, you can sell it and benefit! At Apex, we want owners to be incentivized to build excellent teams and have a sense of true ownership over them. This will not only benefit owners but also help our dynasty leagues continue in perpetuity by ensuring the health of orphaned teams.
The new buyer will be responsible for paying the annual renewal fee. However, teams can be sold for more than the renewal fee, with the owner selling the team receiving the difference. The seller will only profit if the team’s price exceeds the annual renewal fee. To set a price for your orphan, go to the “Keepers” tab in our Lobby and select “Change Prices”. Continue reading below to hear more tips and suggestions for selling your team(s).
That being said, if there’s an orphan that has been on the market for days or weeks and is exorbitantly priced, Apex reserves the right to adjust the price to be more competitive so it can sell in a reasonable amount of time. It is our job to ensure these leagues are filled and all the orphans are sold, and that is our top priority.
Apex will offer two places to buy and sell orphans:
1. The Orphan Marketplace offers sellers the opportunity to set their price and for-sale-by-owner teams until April 1st. This is a change from 2025, where owners had until May 1st to set prices for their teams.
This will continue to be a first-come, first-serve marketplace. Whenever an owner orphans a team and sets a price before April, it will be available for immediate purchase in the Orphan Marketplace.
2. Starting in 2026, there will be two Orphan Auctions: one in early April and one in early May. Dynasty teams that are dropped or listed for sale before April 1st will be included in the April auction, which will run from April 1st to April 5th. Auctions feature sealed bids with a minimum bid of $1 above the renewal price.
The April auction is designed to be the most favorable for sellers. With fewer teams available to bid on than will be available in May’s auction and likely much higher-quality rosters since these teams have been listed for sale, the supply-and-demand dynamics are much more in favor of the seller than the auction in May.
From the end of the April auction until May 1st, the teams unsold during the first auction will be sold at or below their renewal price in the Orphan Marketplace.
After the May 1st renewal deadline passes, Apex will host a second auction starting on the evening of May 1st to give buyers the chance to bid on teams that were not renewed at the deadline.
The orphan auction lasts one week, and once it concludes, any remaining orphans return to the marketplace. The sale price still goes to the prior owner; Apex never makes money on the sale of orphans.
In all circumstances, when you buy a team off the Marketplace or the Auction, you must simultaneously pay the new-year entry fee. Buying “used” does not save you the cost of the annual entry fee; it merely gets you into a multi-year dynasty league without having to pay a deposit (which is necessary if joining a new startup). If the price is set at or below the annual renewal fee cost, the original owner receives nothing for the sale.
Feel free to contact the seller with questions (see the “CONTACT OWNER” link on the marketplace). For teams on the Marketplace, you can even negotiate a price with the owner. Sellers can change their price at any time by going to the “Keepers” button in the Apex Lobby and clicking “Change Prices”.
One final note to sellers: We discourage “testing the waters” by listing your team for sale, and then keeping it if it doesn’t sell for the price you want. When lots of teams are for sale in a league, it gives buyers the impression that there may be something wrong with the league and may discourage orphan purchases. For this reason, we charge a rebuy fee of $5 to buy your team back from the marketplace or at auction. You receive the proceeds from the sale, even if you buy the team back, so it only costs you $5 extra to keep the team, but the rebuy fee does help decrease frivolous listings.
Buying And Selling Orphans: FAQs, Tips And Suggestions
Since our for-sale-by-owner and orphan auctions are new, here are a few frequently asked questions and suggestions for buying and selling orphans:
How Do I Set A Price For My Orphan And List It For Sale?
First, you must go to the “Keepers” button in the Apex Lobby, click “Renew Teams”, and click “LEAVE” next to the team you want to orphan.
You should then see a pop-up that offers you to set a price or leave the team for the auction. If you change your mind, the price can always be changed by going to Keepers -> Change Prices.
Note that the price you enter is in addition to the renewal fee. Thus, set a price that reflects a reasonable amount that you can profit from. Do take into account the renewal fee of the team. For instance, if you orphan an Amateur dynasty team, the renewal fee is roughly $75 (depending on which state you are in) – if you list the price as $35, the total cost of the orphan would be $110.
If you set a price for your orphan, it will immediately be listed in the Orphan Marketplace for first-come-first-serve purchase. Owners can set a price for their team until April 1st, when the first orphan auction begins.
How Do I Decide On A Fair Price For My Orphan?
The bar for estimating a team’s value is the deposit price you would have to pay in a start-up league. For example, if you join a startup Amateur dynasty, the deposit will be $75. Compare your purchase first to this amount.
Think of buying an orphan as buying a team “used.” A markdown for used goods is to be expected. The question to ask yourself is this: Will you be getting a better or worse team than what you can draft yourself in a start-up league?
If “better”, you may be justified in paying the full price of $75 for an Amateur team. However, this is extremely rare.
Most orphans are of lesser quality (or they perhaps wouldn’t be for sale), so a more typical offer is 1-25% of the deposit: $1-20 for a team with a $75 deposit, and so on.
Here are suggested price points for the vast majority of orphans:
- Amateur Orphans: $1-20
- Rookie Orphans: $1-30
- Veteran Orphans: $1-40
- Superstar Orphans: $1-70
A team with little chance of winning this year or next should be acquired as a fun project for improvement, and you may be able to get the team for $1 (in addition to the renewal fee).
Again, remember that you must also pay this year’s entry fee when buying an orphan! For example, when buying an orphan in an Amateur league, you’ll also pay ~$75 in addition to the price listed by the seller (plus a small regulatory fee to play this year with your new team).
Most orphan purchasers are looking for two things: picks in the upcoming Rookie/Free Agent draft and young players (especially young stars) as a foundation to build upon. If your team lacks decent picks or has mostly aging players, you should list your team for much less than you otherwise would, or else it may not sell. Reasonable prices encourage sales.
I See An Orphan In The Marketplace I’m Interested In, Can I Negotiate A Price With The Seller?
Absolutely! Many owners will be open to negotiation to sell their orphan(s). Feel free to ask the seller questions (see the “CONTACT OWNER” link on the buying page). For teams on the Orphan Marketplace, you can even negotiate a price with the owner. Sellers can change their price at any time by going to the Keepers -> Change Prices page in the Apex Lobby.
My Orphan Didn’t Sell By By April 1st. What Happens Now?
If your listed orphan does not sell by April 1st, it will be listed during the first auction, and the minimum bid is $1 above the renewal price. If your orphan sells during the auction, you will be paid the difference between the sale price and the renewal fee.
My Team Didn’t Sell During The Auction. What Happens Now?
If your team doesn’t sell during the auction, it will go immediately to the Orphan Marketplace for purchase. Apex will then set a price it deems fair to sell the team promptly. You will still receive any difference between the sale price and the renewal fee. However, after the auction, teams rarely sell above the renewal fee.
What Happens To Teams That Aren’t Renewed, Nor Released/Listed By The May 1st Deadline?
Similar to teams that are previously listed but don’t sell by the auction, these teams will be available for bidders during the auction. The majority of orphans will not be listed before the May 1st deadline and will only be introduced to potential buyers at the start of the auction.
When Do The Orphan Auctions Begin, And How Do I Participate?
The first orphan auction will begin on the evening of April 1st, and all available teams can be viewed and bid on by finding the Keepers tab in our Lobby and clicking Orphan Auction. All teams will have a minimum bid of $1 (on top of the renewal fee) and will be bid up from there. These are sealed bids, so other bidders will not know what you are bidding. The auction will conclude on April 5th at 11:59 pm ET.
The second orphan auction will begin on the evening of May 1st, and will conclude on May 6th at 11:59 pm ET.
I’ve Won An Auction For An Orphan! What Happens Now?
If you win an auction for an orphan, you will be contacted via the email address listed in your Apex account. You will then have 24 hours to complete the purchase by finding the Keepers tab in our Lobby, going to Renew Teams, and clicking “PAY” next to the orphan. If you do not make payment within 48 hours of being awarded the orphan, it will be offered to the next-highest bidder.
